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. APPARATUS FOR PURIFYING AND STORING WATER No. 568,550. Patented Sept..29, 1896.--

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R. H. THORPE. APPARATUS FOR PURIFYING AND STORING WATER.

No. 568,550. Patented Sept. 29,- 1895."

1 1 fiw NE "cams PETERS co PMOTGUTNQW WASHINGTON. n. c.

UNITED STATES PAT NT FFICE.

ROBERT II. THORPE, OF. NEWV YORK, N. Y.

APPARATUS FOR PURIFYING AND STORING WATER.

SIPEC] I1?IJA.TIO1\T .forming part of Letters Patent No. 568,5 50, datedSeptember 29, 1896.

Application filed February 23, 1894. Serial No. 501,095- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known-that 1, ROBERT E. THORPE, a subject of the Queen of GreatBritain and Ireland, and a resident of New York, in the county of NewYork, State of New York, have invented a certain new and usefulImprovement in Apparatus for Purifying and Storing Water, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in apparatus for purifying andstoring water. Especially it relates to apparatus which operatesautomatically through such a cycle that in the first place the water isfed into a boiler, where it is heated above the boilingpoint for thepurpose, first, of destroying any deleterious germs and rendering anyorganic matter which the water contains innocuous; second, of generatingpressure to operate the other steps of the cycle; and that in the secondplace by the action of the said pressure the boiled water is removedfrom the boiler to a storage-reservoir, the supply to the boiler beingarrested while the boiled water is being discharged, so that by nopossibility can any water mix with the discharge without being boiled;and in the third place,by the reduction of pressure due to the dischargeof the boiled water, the supply to the boiler may be automaticallyresumed and the discharge from the boiler automatically arrested, so asto prevent atthis step of the cycle also the passage of any water thathas not been boiled into the storage-reservoir.

While I am aware that the boiling of water to destroy germs is old, I amnot aware that prior .to my invention a cycle consisting of r theautomatic supply of water to a boiler, automatic discharge of the watertherefrom to a storage-reservoir, and the automatic arresting of thesupply or the discharge, so that only either the supply or the dischargeproceeds ata time, has ever been applied to the boiling and storage ofwater, and the process consisting of such a cycle as my invention.

My invention also relates to the apparatus by which the process isoperated, and which is illustrated in the drawings which accompany thisspecification, whereof Figure 1 is a vertical section of one form of theapparatus. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section on the line X X of Fig. 1.Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation of a modification of the apparatus. Fig.4 is an elevation, partly sectioned, of a modified apparatus wherein thevalves in the boiler supply and discharge are operated by separatemeans.

A boiler A, which may be provided, if desiredfwith safety valve andgage, has a feedpipe B, preferably equipped with ball-cock O and floatO, the discharge 0 descending nearly to the bottom of the boiler A. Thefeed-pipe B is controlled by a valve 1), actuatedby the diaphragm D,which in its turn is operated by the pressure of the water in thedischarge-pipe E, which pipe ultimately leads to the storage-reservoir Fand is provided with a check-valve e, arranged to open toward the saidreservoir F. Said diaphragm D also actuates a valve 6 in the course ofthe discharge-pipe E, which valve 6 is arranged to close. as the valveZ) opens, and vice versa.

Said diaphragm D being arranged to close the valve 1) and open valve 6,a spring d is provided to actuate both said valves oppositely when thepressure on the diaphragm decreases to a desired limit.

G is the main supply-pipe, connected in any suitable manner with theboiler feed-pipe B. In the drawings a condenser H is shown interposed inthe course of said supply-pipe G, within which condenser H is a coil E,arranged in the course of the discharge-pipe E. A valve 2' may be placedbetween said coil E and the boiler A. The said boiler A may be heated inany desired manner, and the drawings show a Bunsen burner K, theneedle-jet of which is controlled by a valve is, actuated by a float L,guided in a yoke Z and rising and falling with the water-level in thereservoir F. The supply-pipe M to said burner K is controlled by thecock m, and I prefer to employ an auxiliary burner with a small flame toignite the gas at the burner K, as will be hereinafter described. Saidburner K is preferably inclosed in a shield K, which may be utilized tosupport the boiler A and is perforated, as shown.

The operation is as follows: \Vater enters the boiler A through the pipeB, the valves b 6 being now respectively open and closed until the ball0', rising to some assigned level, closes the cock 0. The water is thenboiled by the heat of the burner K and steam generated, which finallyattains sufiicient pressure to lift the diaphragm I) through the waterin discharge-pipe E, closing valve Z) and opening valve 6, and thediaphragm D will effect these movements in the well-known manner withgreat suddenness. Thus the first step of the cycle is completed. Thenthe boiled water is discharged by gravity and the pressure of steam inthe boiler A through the condensing-coil E into the bottom of thereservoir F, the valve 1) remaining closed until the water in boiler Ahas descended to the level Z Z, so that no water can reach thedischarge-pipe E except such as has been boiled. This completes thesecond step of the cycle. Next, the level of the water in the boiler Ahaving descended to the level Z Z, the temperature and the pressure ofthe steam therein fall, so that the spring (Z opens the valve Z) andcloses the valve 0, permitting another supply of water to enter theboiler A, but preventing any water from passing therefrom to thereservoir F until the water has been raised to a temperaturesufficiently high to destroy the germs and render the organic matterinnocuous. This completes the third step of the cycle, and thereafterthe process proceeds in that manner through a cycle composed of steps,each of which succeed each other antomatically under the influence ofthe rise and fall of the temperature to which the water is subjected.

\Vhen the level of the water in the reservoir F rises sulficiently highto lift the float Ii, it closes the valve 7; and shuts off the gas fromthe burner K, the auxiliary burner 7t" remaining ignited. lVhensufficient water is drawn from the reservoir F to permit the float L tofall, the valve opens, turning the gas on to the burner K, which isignited by the auxiliary burner.

In Fig. 3 I show a modification of the apparatus wherein the feed-pipeI3 is controlled by hand, the discharge-pipe E being controlled, asbefore, by the temperature and pressure of the water in the boiler A. Inthis case, when an attendant observes from the gage and water level thatthe temperature and pressure of the water in boiler A are nearing thedesired limit, he closes the cock 13. Soon thereafter the diaphragm Dopens the valve 6 and the boiled water is automatically discharged intothe reservoir F. As soon as the gage shows that the temperature of thewater in boiler A has fallen sufficiently to insure that the valve isclosed the attendant opens the cock B to admit another charge to theboiler A and institute the same cycle of operations once more.

In Figs. 1 and 2 the valves Z) c are represented as both operated by onediaphragm D, but they can of course be each operated by separatediaphragms, and one arrangement of the apparatus to effect this isillustrated in Fig. 4:. The diaphragm D, controlling the valve c, is nowarranged with its rebranch. 6*, and the valve 1') is controlled by asecond diaphragm D, the receptacle d of which is connected with the pipeI), beyond the diaphragm I), by a branch c. Other parts of the apparatusare the same as hereinbefore described.

The apparatus operates as follows: Sup pose the boiler A to be filled tothe line I L and the water to be boiling, the cock C being closed. Nowthe steam-pressure in boiler A is exerted, by way of the branch 6 on thewater in the receptacle d and the diaphragm D opens the valve 0,permitting the boiled water to flow through the coil E to the reservoirF. At the same time, the steam-pressure being exerted on the water inthe receptacle (Z the diaphragm D closes the valve 1), so that no watercan enter the boiler A, even as the ball-cock C 0 opens. Thus thesteampressure in the boiler A discharges the contents thereof into thereservoir F until the water in the boiler A descends to the turnedup ende of the pipe E. Then steam rushes into the coil E and is therecondensed, forming a vacuum, which suddenly closes the valve 0, if thesame was not theretofore closed by the spring (Z as the pressure fell inthe boiler A, and opens the valve b, so that another charge of waterenters the boiler A. In this manner the steps of the cycle succeed eachother until the reservoir F is filled with water which has beenthoroughly boiled.

It will be understood that any suitable heatin g device can besubstituted for the burner K, that the vessel II and condensing-coil Emay be omitted, and other changes in the form and arrangement of theparts of the apparatus made without departing from my invention.

Now, having described my improvement, I claim as my invention- 1. Thecombination in apparatus for purifying and storing water, of a source ofheat, a boiler, a supply-pipe thereto, a valve controlling thesupply-pipe by the rise and fall of the level of the water in theboiler, a second valve in said supply-pipe arranged to close when thewater in the boiler has reached a certain pressure, a discharge-pipefrom said boiler, and a valve therein arranged to open when the water inthe boiler has reached the pressure at which the said second valve inthe supply-pipe closes, substantially as described.

2. In apparatus for storing and purifying water, the combination ofaboiler, a supplypipe to the boiler, a receptacle for boiled water, aconnection from the boiler to the receptacle, a valve 1) in thesupply-pipe to the boiler, a valve c in the connection between theboiler and the receptacle and a diaphragm D controlling said valves 1)c, substantially as described.

3. In apparatus for purifying and storing water, the combination with aboiler, a source of heat for the boiler, and a receptacle for boiledwater, of a supply-pipe to the boiler,

ccptaele (Z connected with the pipe E by a 7 a connection between tneboiler and the receptacle, a diaphragm adapted to be operated myinvent-ion I have signed my name, in presby the changes of pressure inthe boiler and ence of tWo Witnesses, this 15th day of Febvalves in saidsupply-pipe and connection ruary, 1894.

adapted to be respectively operated in oppo- ROBERT H. THORPE. 5 sitedirections by the said diaphragm, sub- WVitnesses:

stantially as described. BERNARD J. BEOKE,

In testimony that I claim the foregoing-as PATRICK A. FAY.

